Complete college smoking ban passes Illinois House

Smoking would be completely prohibited on state-supported college and university property under legislation approved by the House Wednesday.

By Doug FinkeState Capitol Bureau

Smoking would be completely prohibited on state-supported college and university property under legislation approved by the House Wednesday.

By a 67-44 vote, the House approved the bill and sent it to the Senate for its consideration. An earlier version of Senate Bill 2202 was approved in the Senate by the bare minimum number of votes needed for passage.

Under the bill, smoking will be prohibited at all state-supported universities and community colleges. The ban applies to the entire campus. Designated smoking areas are not allowed.

The only exceptions are for laboratories on campuses engaged in smoking research and for people in cars that are driving through campus property. Smoking in parked vehicles is prohibited. Williams also said the ban does not apply to e-cigarettes.

State-supported colleges and universities can implement no-smoking policies on their own, and Williams said some of them have. However, she said there is no uniform system for implementing the bans.

Still, some lawmakers said smoking bans should be left up to the elected or appointed trustees of the schools.

“It's more about the issue of control,” said Rep. Chad Hays, R-Catlin. “In what other areas are we going to be deciding the day-to-day policy of campuses?”

Rep. Dennis Reboletti, R-Elmhurst, agreed.

“When do we put faith in the people who have been appointed to these boards to make decisions about their institutions of higher learning?” he said. “We have enough on our plate before we micromanage (colleges). They can do this already if they choose to do it.”

“The reality is this is a public health issue,” Williams said. “It's important to ensure that more and more people aren't devastated by the impact of second-hand smoke. It's not an issue of local control or personal liberty.”

Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson, said students go on to college after leaving high schools where smoking is prohibited on the grounds.

“None of the colleges in my district have adopted the (no-smoking) policy, but they support it,” Moffitt said. “This is an opportunity we have to make our colleges healthier places. Even though the local board could make the decision, some of the students may have respiratory problems. They can't go off campus to get clean air.”

Rep. Wayne Rosenthal, R-Morrisonville, is a trustee on the Lincoln Land Community College Board. He said he believes the ban “would be beneficial to our students at LLCC.” A statewide policy would eliminate confusion about where smoking is allowed and isn't, he said.

However, Rep. Ken Dunkin, D-Chicago, who is a co-sponsor of the bill, said he is concerned about the impact on community colleges. Many older students attend those schools, and smokers in that group may find a ban more difficult to deal with, he said.

In the Springfield area, only Rosenthal and Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, voted in favor of the bill. Reps. Rich Brauer, R-Petersburg, C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, and Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, all voted against it.